Tomorrow night, an hour-long “60-Minutes” piece on Carson from 1963 will be shown at the National Archives as part of the Environmental Film Festival (But I want to see it, too!).

From Weeks:

There is, in the hour-long, black-and-white warning, a sort of retrospectral sense, an I-told-you-so from beyond the grave. Up against a smooth-talking scientist and befuddled bureaucrats, Carson cuts through the hazmat haze and warns that widespread use of biocidal chemicals will silence birds, still fishes and destroy innocent plant life…

… Proponents of pesticides point out their benefits in the film. “When pesticides, registered pesticides, are used in accordance with label instructions and recommendations, then there is no danger to either man or to animals and wildlife,” said Robert White-Stephens, a spokesman for American Cyanamid. In black-rimmed glasses and lab coat, surrounded by beakers and lab equipment, he is the perfect counterpoint to Carson, who sits on a porch or in a den and comes across as a straightforward, nature-loving schoolteacher. Representatives from the federal government argue throughout the report that chemicals curb disease and save lives.

In a dark suit and flanked by a typewriter and books, Carson says, “We have to remember that children born today are exposed to these chemicals from birth, perhaps even before birth. Now what is going to happen to them in adult life as a result of that exposure? We simply don’t know.”